Applying for an Iowa GME Training Program

Eligible applicants should apply directly to the residency or fellowship training program. Deadlines and application criteria vary; review those requirements at the individual program sites. Each program has specific guidelines for conducting interviews, what to expect during the interview, and American Board of Medical Specialties certification requirements.

Eligibility criteria for applicants of a GME residency or fellowship training program are:

Graduate from a United States or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or

Graduate from a United States college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or

Graduate from a medical school outside the United States or Canada with:

a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and have a passing score for Step 1 and Step 2 of the USMLE,

an Iowa Resident license, and

be a U.S. citizen, a legal permanent resident, or hold a visa which provides eligibility to work in the U.S. Typical visas are J-1 (requires Steps 1 and 2 of USMLE and

ECFMG certification) and H1-B (requires departmental approval and Steps 1, 2 and 3 of USMLE); or

Graduate from a medical school outside the United States and have completed a Fifth Pathway* program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school.

All applicants must also meet program eligibility requirements as defined by the ACGME’s respective RRC (for accredited programs) or the department (for non-accredited programs).

*A Fifth Pathway program is an academic year of supervised clinical education provided by an LCME-accredited medical school to students who meet the following conditions:

have completed, in an accredited college or university in the United States, undergraduate premedical education of the quality acceptable for matriculation in an accredited United States medical school;

have studied at a medical school outside the United States and Canada but listed in the World Health Organization Directory of Medical Schools;

have completed all of the formal requirements of the foreign medical school except internship and/or social service;

have attained a score satisfactory to the sponsoring medical school on a screening examination; and

have passed either the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences, Parts I and II of the examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners, or Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).